Local Federal MP and Shadow Minister for Regional Communications Luke Hartsuyker is agitated the roll-out of the National Broadband Network is behind schedule and over budget.Rob Wright/Coffs Coast Advocate

Hartsuyker: NBN costs spiralling

FEDERAL MP Luke Hartsuyker said NBN Co confirmed yesterday what everyone except the Gillard Government had acknowledged - the roll-out of the National Broadband Network is behind schedule and over budget.

Speaking as the Shadow Minister for Regional Communications, Mr Hartsuyker said NBN Co's revelations are alarming but of little surprise.

"It has only taken two years for NBN Co to reluctantly admit that the cost of the NBN has blown out by $4.6 billion, projected revenue will fall by over half a billion dollars and it will take an extra six months to complete," Mr Hartsuyker said.

"But the real fear is that these figures are nothing more than a hoax and by the time the network is complete the cost blow outs will leave Australian taxpayers with a massive bill.

"It's also now clear regional Australians will be waiting even longer for access to high speed broadband.

"It's nearly five years since Labor was elected in 2007 and broadband black spots have not been fixed and high speed broadband is still unavailable in so many regional areas.

"According to the new corporate plan, after two years and more than $2.8 billion of expenditure, NBN Co is connecting just 13 premises per day.

"By their own estimates they have to achieve connection rates of over 6,000 premises per day to meet their roll-out deadline.

"And despite this miserable failure Minister Conroy now expects Australians to believe that NBN Co will hit all its targets for the next nine years."